Tabs

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

There has been much criticism aimed towards Roberto Mancini's Manchester City. Although the Italian has guided City to third in the Premier League table, he still has a lot of work to do. This hectic month is the window for City to get rid of a few problems, and buy a talented Bosnian forward.

It seems like every team in the Premier League lacks something this season. Arsenal could use a pair of strong defenders, Manchester United wouldn't mind a creative central midfielder, and Manchester City lacks overall team spirit. While there are plenty stars at the club, it doesn't mean that they get along with each other. From homesick Carlos Tevez to wild Mario Balotelli, Manchester City are an asylum with their hands full of patients.

The latest spat/scrap/punch-out was between two former Arsenal players, Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor. Funnily enough, this latest ardent disagreement is right before Manchester City travel to face Arsenal. The two players lost their cool during a non-contact practice match when Toure stuck his leg out behind him in order to halt Adebayor. The Togo international wasn't too happy, and the two eventually had to be physically separated by teammates.

Tricky Toure decides to leave his leg behind, tripping Adebayor

This isn't the first time we've seen animosity in the Manchester City camp. Mario Balotelli has had his fair share of disagreements with many squad members, and Carlos Tevez and Roberto Mancini have come close to exchanging blows in the locker room. It really isn't a surprise that Adebayor has begun to get a little restless, especially with the mid-season transfer window upon us.

Adebayor's restlessness could be caused by Edin Dzeko, the tall, strong, goalscoring Bosnian forward who will soon be arriving at City from Wolfsburg. The two clubs have decided on the price of 27 million Pounds, and it seems like the move has already been sorted out. But where does this leave unhappy Adebayor?

Well, there's another unhappy man situated in Madrid who has been demanding a proper center-forward. After Gonzalo Higuain suffered an injury which will sideline him for about six months, the only true striker left at Real Madrid is Karim Benzema. Jose Mourinho has been keeping his eyes on Adebayor, and a loan deal with the possibility of becoming a permanent transfer would certainly please the Portuguese coach. But Adebayor has also been observed by Malaga, owned by a member of the royal family of Qatar, and they're willing to pay Emmanuel a hefty salary if he joins. It wouldn't be unlikely that Adebayor goes to ply his trade in Spain for the rest of the season, making pretty much everybody happier.

But looking at all this internal tension at Manchester City, could Mancini's team get a result at the Emirates? Mario Balotelli and David Silva are unable to play, and Arsenal have just defeated Birmingham City at St. Andrew's Stadium 3-0, so an Arsenal win seems the most likely result. Share your comments on what you think will happen below!